by: S. Scott Stanikmas

The upcoming CBS series Supergirl has had some major cast additions in the last few days.

Late last week it was announced that Nashville star Laura Benanti has joined the cast in a major recurring role. The actress will play Alura Zor-El, mother of Kara Zor-El a.k.a. Supergirl.

Alura is a noble woman who rockets her daughter from the dying planet Krypton for a chance at survival. It’s being said that her wisdom and guidance will echo across space and time, so my guess is that we’ll see Alura as a hologram, much like Russell Crowe’s Jor-El in Man Of Steel.

More recently, word got out that Calista Flockhart has also signed on for the superheroine series. Flockhart has been cast as Kara’s boss, Cat Grant.

Cat Grant is a self-made media magnate who employs Kara as her assistant. In the comics and other media (most notably Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) Grant was portrayed as a man-chasing sexpot. It’s probably safe to say that while this Cat may still have a dominant side, she’ll be more of an empowering character that doesn’t constantly rely in her sexuality. Flockhart is too strong of an actress for that.

I like both of these new cast members. In addition to Whiplash’s Melissa Benoist as the titular hero and Mechad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen, I’m intrigued to see where this series goes.

Where do you stand IR readers? Does this show interest you, or is it not your cup of tea?